Car-coupling.



No. 628,329. Patent ed July 4, I899.

' E. H. JANNEY.

I GAR COUPLING.

(Application filed Mat. 31, 1899.)

i-No Model.)

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE. V

- ELI H. JANNEY, OF FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 628,329, dated July 4, 1899.

Application filed March 31, 1899. Serial No. 711,276. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Beitknown that I, ELI H. J ANNEY, acitizen of the United States, residing in the county of Fairfax, in the State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to car-couplings,more particularly to the well-known J anney type, and has for its objects, first, to provide a locking-bar that will always be in position for automatically locking the tail of the coup-- ling-hook when the carsare forced together; secondly, to provide an unlocking-pin that when raised to the unlocking position will be automatically retained therein and'which will be automatically released and permitted to resume its normal position by the movement of the coupling-hook to its open position; thirdly, to provide an unlocking-pin of a minimum size that will give a maximum longitudinal movement to the locking-bar in uncoupling, so as to insure the greatest possible amount of bearing-surface on the tail of the coupling-hook when locked, and, fourthl y, to provide means whereby the uncouplingpin when in its normal position will not be moved or disturbed in the act of coupling. These objects I accomplish in the manner and by the means hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accom panying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a horlzontal sectional view of I my improved coupling, showing the same locked. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the same unlocked. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view showing the same locked. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the same unlocked. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the locking-bar and unlocking-pin.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the said drawings the numeral 1 denotes the draw-bar, 2 the draw-head, and 3' the coupling-hook, ofa coupling of the J anney type, said coupling-hook being pivoted'at 4. to the draw-head 2 in the usual manner.

Longitudinally movable in a central chamber 5 in the draw-head 1 is .a locking-bar 6, having a convex front face, as shown, and provided with a stem 7, that passes through a plate Sin said chamber, the rearward moveslot 14 in locking-bar 6, as shown.

'or unlocking position.

. ment of said plate being limited by a shoulder 9, formed in the chamber, as shown. A coiled spring 10, surrounding stem 7 and abutting against the rear side of the lockingebar 6 and the plate 8, exerts a constant forward pressure on said locking-bar.

' Vertically movable in upper and lower apertures l1 12 in draw-head 2 is an unlockingpin 13, the same passing through a vertical is also slotted at 15, the lower edge 16 of said slot being preferably inclined downward from front to rear and adapted to contact with the similarly -inclined edge 17 of a tongue 18, formed integral with locking-barb and located in the slot 14 therein. The lower front edge of pin 13 is recessed at 19, for a purpose here inafter to be described. 7

From the above description the operation of my improved construction will be understood to be as follows: The device is shown in its locked position in Figs. 1 and 3, in which the tail of the coupling-hook 3 is engaged and retained by the side of the locking-bar 6, that is projected forward by spring 10 and limited in said forward movement by the engagement therewith of pin 13. Now when it is desired to unlock coupling-hook 3 the same is accomplished by raising unlocking-pin 13, the result' being that by reason of the contact of the inclined face 16 thereof with the inclined edge 17 of tongue 18 in locking-bar 6 the latteris forced back against the tension of spring 10 until the side wall of said locking-bar passes the rear end of the tail of coupling-hook 2 and the latter is free to be swung outward to its open position. This vertical movement of pin 13, however, brings the upper end of recess 19 just above the upper edge of aperture 12 in the draw-head 2, the result being that the tension of spring 10 will force the lower end of pin 13 forward and engage and retain the edge of said recess over the edge of aperture 12, thus retaining said pin in its raised It will be observed Said pin' by referring to Figs. 1 and 2 that the front 7 face of the locking-bar 6 is slightly convex, so that the tail of the coupling-hook 2in its rotation to the open position will contact with said convex surface, thus forcing the lockingbar 6 slightly to the rear and sufiiciently to re-' move thepressure thereof temporarily from IOO the unlocking-pin 13, thus permitting the latter to drop back automatically to its normal position and permitting the locking-bar to move forward again after the passage of the tail of coupling-hook 2 under the tension of spring 10 to its initial position, this dropping of pin 13 being facilitated by reason of the fact that when said pin is in its raised and retained position the inclined edges 16 and 17 do not pass entirely from contact with each other, as seen in Fig. 1. Furthermore, it will be observed by referring to Fig. 4 that the front face of slot 14 in locking-bar 6 is almost in contact with the pin 13 when the latter is raised, the result being that the slight rearward movement of said locking-bar, caused by the coupling-hook tail, as above described, will cause the locking-bar to contact with the pin 13, thereby positively forcing the upper end of recess 19 therein from engagement with the upper edge of aperture 12. The return of the tail of coupling-hook 2 to its locked position in the act of coupling will automatically force back locking-bar 6 until it is free to spring forward to the locking position as the tail of said hook passes from contact with the front face thereof. It will also be observed that this movement of the locking-bar 6 does not move or affect the unlocking-pin 13, by reason of the fact that inclined edge 17 leaves inclined face 16, and owing to the length of slot 14 the front face thereof does not contact with said pin. Moreover, face 16 and edge 17 are never quite in contact with each other when unlocking-pin 13 isin its normal lowermost position, by reason of the fact that slot 15 therein is long enough to permit said pin v to drop to a position where face 16 is slightly below and out of contact with edge 17, thereby saving unnecessary wear on said inclined faces.

It will be observed that the size of apertures 11 and 12 is only coextensive with the size of pin 13 and that said pin is of substantially the same cross area throughout its length whereas in analogous devices heretofore patented the apertures receiving the unlocking-pins have been required to be large enough to accommodate the inclined surfaces on the pins that impart the necessary longitudinal movement to the locking-bars, I obviating this defect by locating the inclined surface within the body of the pin, as described.

Further, while I have shown and described slot 15 in unlocking-pin 13 as being provided with the inclined face 16 it will readily be understood that said inclined face may be changed to a rounded or even a horizontal face, it being obvious that the inclined edge 17 in the locking-bar 6 is all that is absolutely necessary to accomplish the retraction of said locking-bar.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-head, a coupling-hook, and a longitudinally-movable locking-bar, of an unlocking-pin adapted in its movement to withdraw said locking-bar to a releasing position with respect to said coupling-hook, to automatically retain said locking-bar in the releasing position, and to automatically return to its initial position as the coupling-hook swings to the open position.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-head, a coupling-hook, and a longitudinally-movable locking-bar, of an unlocking-pin adapted in its movement to withdraw said locking-bar to a releasing position with respect to said coupling-hook, to automatically retain said locking-bar in the releasing position, and to be automatically released to return to its initial position by the action of the coupling-hook on the locking-bar as said coupling-hook swings to the open position.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-head, a coupling-hook-pivoted therein, and a longitudinally-movable locking-bar, of a vertically-movable unlocking-pin engagin g with said locking-bar in such manner that its upward movement will withdraw said locking-bar to a releasing position with respect to the coupling-hook but not out of the path of motion of the latter, and a spring exerting a constant tension on said locking-bar toward its locking position and cooperating with said bar to automatically retain the unlocking-pin in its raised position until released by the contact of the coupling-hook with the lockingbar in the movement of the former to its open position.

4. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-head, a coupling-hook pivoted therein, a slotted locking-bar longitudinally movable in said draw-head, and a spring exerting a constant tension on said locking-bar toward its locking position, of a vertically-movable slotted unlocking-pin passing through the slot in said locking-bar and adapted to engage with an inclined face in the slot of the locking-bar, said pin being recessed in its front side to engage the draw-head, whereby said pin in its upward movement will withdraw said locking-bar to a releasing position and be automatically pressed by the action of the spring into engagement with the drawhead to retain it in its raised position.

5. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-head, a coupling-hook pivoted therein, a slotted locking-bar longitudinally movable in said draw-head and having a convex front face, and a spring exerting a constant tension on said locking-bar toward its locking position, of a vertically-movable slotted unlocking-pin passing through the slot in said locking-bar and adapted to engage with an inclined face in the slot of the locking-bar, said pin being recessed in its front side to engage the draw-head,whereby said pin in its upward movement will withdraw said lockingbar to a releasing position but not out of the path of motion of the coupling-hook and will be automatically pressed by the action of the spring and locking-bar into engagement with In testimony whereof I have hereunto set the draw-head to retain the parts in the remy hand in the presence of two subscribing 1o leasing position until the coupling-hook by witnesses. its contact with the convex face of the look-- 5 ing-bar during its movement to the open position retracts said locking-bar, releasing said Witnesses: pin and permitting it to drop to its normal A.'B. JANNEY, position. 0. H. JANNEY.

ELI H. J ANNEY. 

